Netherlands National Sentenced to Five Years in Prison and €2,000 Fine for His Role in Antwerp Attacks
A 20-year-old Dutchman, Ichairo D. from Almere, has been sentenced to five years in prison and a €2,000 fine by a Belgian court for his involvement in three attacks in Antwerp. D., who was found guilty of carrying out attacks on a discothèque and an office building, denied any involvement despite compelling evidence.
The Attacks
The következő espectadores (21 and 25 September 2023) and a verzekeringskantoor (30 October 2023), authorities discovered that all three attacks involved the use of explosives. Neither the discothèque nor the office building suffered any casualties.
Belgian media, citing surveillance footage from 25 September, reported that an individual attached a package equipped with a 10-meter-long wire to the discothèque’s wall, which was then detonated remotely. In the office attack, an unattended jerrycan of fuel and suspected Cobra-6 fireworks were left behind, along with a message scrawled on the building’s facade.
The Investigation
Dutch authorities tracked down Ichairo D. after noticing a car with a Dutch license plate near each of the attack sites. The car was registered in D.’s name. Further investigation revealed that his phone was active in the Antwerp area during the attacks.
Investigators discovered messages on D.’s Snapchat account: one asking if "it had worked" on 25 September, to which he replied affirmatively. A search of D.’s bedroom turned up a bag of gunpowder and two fuses.
D.’s Trial and Conviction
During his trial, D. admitted to driving to Antwerp on each of the nights in question but denied any involvement in the attacks. He claimed he had been hired to drive someone else but was unaware of any plans for the attacks.
However, the court convicted D. on the strength of the evidence, sentencing him to five years in prison and imposing a €2,000 fine. The verdict sends a strong message that terrorism and related activities will not be tolerated and that those responsible will face justice.
